Avoiding food allergens at family parties

My last blog post was about Son #2 having an allergic reaction to tree nuts during a family party on Sunday. It seems they are everywhere, no matter how carefully we check food. His allergic reaction could have been worse. But wait! There's more!!!

That same night that Son #2 had an allergic reaction, we went to a friend's house for a BBQ. We had our burgers on the grill when I saw someone walk by with salmon to add to the grill. I thought, "I am not taking any chances!" I am allergic to seafood, and I wasn't about to let someone put salmon on the grill with my burger.

I told my son to go get our burgers off the grill-QUICK!!! The hostess looked at me a little strangely, and I told her that I was allergic to seafood. I thought she knew about that burgers can't be cooked in the same spot on the grill that seafood was, but she didn't. She  quickly went out and took care of the grill situation, and our burgers were not cross-contaminated.

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth getting together with family and friends if I have to be carefully checking the food all of the time. It seems like it's safer to stay at home and cook everything myself. But where is the fun in that? That's what makes life fun is being with family and friends.

I guess I need to keep reminding people at EVERY get together that Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts and I am allergic to seafood. It's not their fault they don't know. I thought I have told them plenty of times over the years, but I guess not.

So, for Father's Day and 4th of July get parties, I'm going to make sure EVERYONE knows that what we are allergic to and ask them if what they brought has seafood or tree nuts in it.

The tree nuts were hard to spot in the chocolate chip cookies because they were chopped so small that I couldn't see them. And I have found seafood in strange places (like shrimp in baked beans...) Webmd has a great slide show about food allergies

So, here's to doubling up my efforts to keep my son and I alive and anaphylaxis free!